Low Rider

10.26.13

Saudi Women Defy Driving Ban

Risking arrest and harassment on Saturday, a handful of activists subverted the Kingdom's ban on female drivers.

The Indy 500 this was not, but for the few dozen Saudi women who took to the wheel on October 26—in defiance of the Kingdom's ban on female drivers—their act of subversion was just as exhilarating. Activists inside the country had hoped for a higher turnout for the appointed day of protest, but last-minute problems may have dissuaded would-be drivers, including warnings from prominent clerics and the hacking of a website belonging to the October 26th Women's Driving Campaign. Still, supporters told the AP that at least 60 women took part in the protest, uploading a handful of videos to document their four-wheeled civil disobedience. As one young mother gushed to The New York Times after a successful supermarket run, "I'm so proud of myself right now." Check out a YouTube video, supposedly showing a woman driving on the day of protest, below.